...a rushed visit to Thailand to visit friends while they live in Bangkok led me to visit a small Mon village on the River Kwai, where some of the dwellings are built on metal pontoons which float on the river. The constant movement is both lulling and unsettling.

I also spent some time on the remote island of Ko Kradan, off the South West coast of the mainland, which is still recovering from damage caused by the tsunami. A small jungle surrounded by golden beaches, it could be seen as paradise, but the inhabitants of the island - the mosquitoes, sea urchins, sand wasps, crabs and medusa - they let you know who the island really belongs to...

Simon Whetham, March 2009

Published by Touch Music [MCPS]